Once someone knows that you own a camera with a lot of buttons on it, it is not unusual for them to ask questions. Often, the first question is, “why does your camera have so many buttons!” Then they move on to questions about settings, or their cameras, or how to take better pictures of their cat. Since most photographers love to talk about their addiction, we have no problem answering those questions, and creating a few more along the way.

Over the last couple of months, however, the questions have changed. They’re not so much about photography, as they are about video. Specifically, how to improve your video presentations. And that makes sense for a couple of reasons. Photographers (hopefully) know how to make things look good on camera, and we are spending a lot more time in front of video cameras these days as we video chat, conference and live stream.

Knowing how to communicate on video is important for many reasons. I suspect that part of the “new normal” that we keep hearing about will be a greater reliance on video conferences, and telecommuting. It will become a part of our culture, and we will eventually all learn how it’s done. Just like we learned phone etiquette, and that it isn’t necessary to write a greeting paragraph in an email, and that all caps in text is frowned upon. In the same way, using video will soon become “normal”.

For those in business, video has become crucial. We meet with clients, conference with coworkers, and even apply for jobs from the video perches that we have created in our own homes. If you are trying to sell something, you know that you miss that face-to-face interaction, and so you need every advantage at your disposal to help you engage with your customers, and communicate your message.

With that in mind, I’ve created a video (what else?) with a couple of very basic suggestions that can help you improve your video skills today. I touch on audio, lighting, and “presence”. Each of these could be – and should be – a video in their own right, but my goal is to just help you take a few simple steps to get you on your way. If you have questions, comments or observations, I’d love to hear them, either in the comments below, or in the comment section of the video.